


Semi-Human (vol one)

by ren_kuro



Series: Semi-Human [1]
Category: semihuman
Genre: Fantasy, Light Novel, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Story - Freeform, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ren_kuro/pseuds/ren_kuro
Summary: Juzo looks a bit different from other people, but that's ok. Right? It is until he finds himself receiving an invitation to the mysterious school known as Diamond Lotus Academy because of his unique appearance. Upon arriving at the palace-like school, he soon discovers not only that he is not the most unique looking individual anymore, but why the school and its inhabitants are so mysterious.
Series: Semi-Human [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978600





	1. The Untouchable Castle

If there was ever anyone who didn’t get bored at school, I would love to meet them. I would ask them the secret to not wanting to just collapse in the middle of a lecture. I doubt there is, or was, anyone like that though. Even the teacher standing in front of the class seemed bored, even though he was the one giving the lecture. Maybe it’s just school that makes sitting quietly and pretending to listen boring. No, it’s definitely not just school.

I turned my head to the left, moving the window into my view. It looked to be a nice day outside; sunny, slightly cloudy. Why don’t clouds come in more vibrant colors? The blue of the ocean is a reflection of the sky above us, so why are the clouds different? Well, besides sunsets and sunrises, that is. I hope one day I’m able to see the clouds in a rainbow of colors without the help of a rising or falling sun.

I’m snapped out of my cloud fantasy by Axel, the guy who sits between me and the transparent glass of the window. I know he considers us friends, but I'm not so sure about it. It’s not that he isn't nice or anything, I just don’t think we're very close. On the other hand, he is who I'm closest to in school. I suppose maybe I'm just in denial about actually having a friend. As he contorted his face in odd ways, I questioned if admitting my denial was the right choice. Never before have I seen someone try to entertain a classmate by making stupid faces in the middle of class. Although, I guess it was working. Just a bit.

I let my head lean more onto my right hand, which was lazily holding my head up. I smiled slightly as I exhaled quietly through my nose. Axel, proud of getting me to smile, silently continued his immature antics, soon involving his hands in his quest of making the dumbest facial expressions he could manage.

“Axel,” The teacher spoke in a tired voice as both Axel and I went stiff, eyes darting to the front of the classroom. “Are you listening?” Without taking his thumb out of his widely opened mouth, he quickly turned his head to face the teacher.

“Yesh.” Giggles from the rest of the class rippled throughout the otherwise quiet air of the dingy classroom. Axel only smiled in response, encouraging even more giggles. The teacher sighed once again, lifting the lesson book in his hands up to his face as it was before he stopped to address Axel.

“Please just- just take your fingers out of your mouth and I’ll continue th-” he was silenced by the echoing ring of the bell. Without waiting, my classmates immediately began collecting their things and stuffed it in their bags. Axel was no exception, sloppily shoving loose papers and dull pencils into his bag, zipping it up as soon as everything he deemed his own was crudely forced inside. I supposed I should have gathered my things as well. I stood up and began to neatly slip my papers into their designated folders, organizing them as I went. While I packed, a few classmates walked over to meet Axel and me at our desks. 

“What on earth were you doing with your fingers in your mouth?” At least someone was willing to ask. That someone happened to be a small girl named Raina. 

“Oh, I vas cheering ap Joozo, Yea?” His thick accent on display as he spoke. He turned to me, smiling. I quickly put a small smile on my face as well. “Heh, yeah.” I confirmed. As soon as those words left my mouth, another classmate chimed it.

“You really shouldn’t question him at this point,” Luka said, putting an arm lazily around Raina’s shoulders, who in turn, quickly moved her dark hair so it wouldn’t be pulled by Luka’s arm. I tried not to pay much mind to them acting like a couple; it made me feel lonely.

“Anyway, we out, see y'all tomorrow.” Raina gave a small wave before turning towards the door. Luka lazily raised his free hand as a mock wave, leaving us with Vikki, who was standing behind the couple.

“Oh, gross caple not vant to be vit us no more?” Axel fake pouted. Vikki pretended to gag as Raina and Luka finally escaped the classroom. As Axel chuckled at his newfound ‘teammate,' Vikki hopped onto Axel’s newly cleared desk, choosing to sit on it rather than the countless chairs nearby. She let out a sigh.

“Sometimes I wonder how our Luka Bricks managed to find someone to put up with his shit, especially someone so smart. You would think she’d know better.”

“I question that myself every second I see them together.” I admitted while zipping up my now organized backpack, and throwing it over my shoulder, silently signaling Axel to stand up and grab his bag as well.

“Ready?” Vikki asked, already knowing the answer. Axel jumped in between my desk and his, the small girl still perched atop it, and continued leap-running out of the room and into the hallway. Vikki quickly followed, hopping down and onto her feet with a slight bounce of her ombre hair alongside the bag on her back. While I watched her skip over to the doorway, I took the liberty of pushing in Axel’s chair, since apparently he couldn’t.

I met the two once again by the large entrance of the old, weathered school building. The sun outside was bright as my eyes had to slowly adjust to the brilliant shine. The gentle breeze blew some hair in front of my eyes, obscuring my vision even more. 

“You’re so slow,” Vikki whined in complaint. “Come on, let's get home before you get sunburnt. Again.” We began to make our way to the neighborhood all three of us lived in with Axel in the lead, me and Vikki close behind. She was right, we should be quick, I didn’t want to get sunburnt even more than I already was, despite having applied a layer of sunscreen this morning and even adding another layer during lunch. The disadvantage of having snow-white skin I suppose.

Suddenly Axel slowed his gait and quickly maneuvered his bag so he could reach in. After a few seconds of digging, he pulled out a faded blue baseball cap and tossed it in my direction. Vikki caught it mid-air before I had the chance. She stood on her toes as she roughly shoved it onto my head.

“Thanks,” I adjusted the cap on my head as we continued forward. “Guess I forgot mine this morning; hurts like hell when my scalp gets burnt, and it’s not like my hair will help block it out,” I said, moving the snowy-white hair of my bangs so it was easier to see. Axel smiled brightly and gave an ‘ok’ sign with one of his hands, his way to say ‘you’re welcome!’.

Something in the corner of my vision caught my eye as we ventured into the suburban neighborhood. It was hard not to notice though. I mean, a giant castle on a tall, forested hill? You don’t just not take notice of the structure. The others gave it a quick glance as well, just like when we pass it every day.

When Axel and his family first moved here about ten months ago, he immediately asked me about the untouchable castle on the hill. I told him what I knew, even though it wasn’t much. I told him it was a school for rich kids around the world, and that apparently, it was an invite-only situation. He asked who exactly went there but I didn’t, and still don’t, have an answer for him. Except for the rumor Vikki had shared with us a few weeks ago that the kids of the ‘Licorne family’ went there. There’s really no telling if that’s true, or if it’s even a school at all. For all we know, they could be storing a shit-ton of nukes in there. 

Still, we all wondered what _Diamond Lotus Academy_ really was.


	2. A Letter And A Gray Fox

The walk to the small wooden building I called home was uneventful. Axel and Vikki had split off to their own houses nearby, but I was still walking to mine since I lived the farthest from the school.

Caught in a swarm of my own thoughts, I blankly stared at my sneakers kicking up bits of dirt as I walked along the side of the paved road. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I hardly managed to stop myself from stepping on an animal as it zoomed to the other side of the street. A cat? No. But it sure moved like a cat. I stood rigidly as I watched it dart across the smooth pavement and into the safety of the bushes on the other side. It was a fox, but it wasn’t orange, it was a dusty, charcoal gray color. I’d never seen a fox that color in real life, only in pictures. I just stood there for a moment, wondering what a fox was doing here, why it ran right in front of me, why I hadn’t managed to notice it sooner. Well, just standing there certainly wasn’t going to answer my questions.

As I neared my front door, something on the deck caught my attention. A crisp white letter, topped with a fancy-looking vermilion wax seal. Upon closer inspection, the wax was imprinted with the infamous lotus design of the untouchable castle on the hill.

“What the hell is this-” my mumbling was abruptly cut off by my aunt opening the door with a smile.

“Juzo, I thought I heard somebody out here. Glad it wasn’t someone trying to break in…”

“In the middle of the day?” She giggled slightly then moved aside to let me in, and shut it behind me while I knelt down to untie my worn-out sneakers. To be honest, they didn’t just look well-used, they smelled like it too. I crinkled my nose in disgust.

“Remind me to clean my shoes.” I said as I moved through the small house, ducking so as to not hit my head on the doorway to the kitchen and dining room. This neighborhood was filled with Japanese style houses. In other words, they were made for people of short to average height, not me. 

I set my bag down against the leg of the old wood table and gently pulled out a chair, setting down the letter on the flat surface. Just as I was about to sit, My aunt spoke up.

“Not so fast, peel and cut these.” as soon as I turned to face her, she tossed a bright orange carrot into my hands, then pointed to the small pile of more on the other side of the sink. There was no getting out of it now. I slowly made my way to the rest of the carrots and picked up the rusted peeler that had been placed beside them. 

“So, how was school?” I’m surprised it took this long for her to ask. I started peeling the carrot in my hand, careful not to cut myself while doing so.

“Eh, it was ok. I got a B on my chemistry test from last week. Saw a gray fox on the way home today too.” 

“I’m glad to know my nephew is living the high life,” she gently smiled and moved to the stove where a large pot sat, silently heating. She then dumped a bunch of already cut and peeled potatoes in, grabbing a nearby wooden spoon and stirring slowly. “But really, you seem down, you ok?” I didn’t answer for a moment, thinking carefully about my answer, not stopping peeling the carrot.

“I just miss mom and dad I guess.” I set down the first carrot and picked up another one and began peeling once more. I guess I wasn’t completely lying, but I was far more concerned with that letter.

“You know they’ll be back, hun. And I know they would rather be here with you than working all the time.” After years of hearing that, I’m not really sure if they would rather be here with me. I’m sure they favored traveling the world for work much more than spending time with their only child. I understand though. I look different, who _would_ be proud to be called my family. Some little cousins on my father's side were scared of me. I can’t blame them in the slightest. I mean, just imagine being forced to talk to some strange guy claiming to be your family, but looks nothing like you.

____

Dinner was finished. I stood from the table and started stacking the dirtied cups, plates, and silverware that lay on the wood, waiting to be cleaned and used again. A rather unfulfilling life in my opinion. Deciding not to pour much more thought into the subject, I gently placed the stack in the confines of the small silver sink, trotting over to where my aunt stood by the door. I swiftly grabbed her jacket from the worn-down plastic hook, which was just barely attached to the wall at this point.

“Be careful on the way home, alright? It might not be completely dark yet, but still.” I warned, handing her the jacket while peering through the small window near the door, at the vibrant setting sun, along with the clouds surrounding it. Colored clouds, but with the help of a setting sun.

“Oh, don’t worry about me sweetie, I’ll be just fine. You worry about taking care of yourself, beanstalk.” She gently elbowed me in the ribs as I bent down to give her a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek.

I let a small smile take over my face as I watched her walk down the short dirt path to where she had parked her tiny, red Sudan. Maybe I should consider getting my license, but then again, I don't have a car to drive.

As I shut the door, locking the silver lock, I was left with complete silence. Nothing out of the usual I suppose. I live alone, have for a while. With my parents constantly jetting off to god knows where for work, I was left here. It’s not that bad though. A couple of times a week my aunt Lidia stops by and makes me some food to last me until her next visit. Every once in a while, her small family would tag along. By that I mean her son sometimes lingers around after school due to a lack of other activities. Whether her son is here or not, I still have to clean up the mess we made and package up the leftovers for the next few days.

Upon finishing putting the leftover curry into Tupperware and into the chill of the old fridge, I caught a glimpse of white and vermilion. The letter. I had forgotten all about it. I pulled a dishrag from its perch on the handle on the dishwasher and covered my damp hands with its rough cotton. I continued drying my hands as I stepped toward the corner of the table, where it had ended up in the chaos of dinner. Setting down the now damp rag onto the tabletop, I grabbed the letter, careful not to damage the crisp white envelope. I grazed my thumb across the soft wax of the seal, silently inspecting it.

As the curiosity grew, I carefully opened the letter, slightly ripping the paper as I tore the red wax from its position. I unfolded the expensive feeling paper and began to read its contents.

_Dear Mr. Juzo Hideki,  
It is my honor as the principal of Diamond Lotus Academy to invite you to join us and attend our school._

No way. No fucking way.

_No cost is necessary except for the purchase of one's own school supplies. If you wish to accept this invitation, please fill out the following forms, put all contents except this note back into the envelope, securely close it, and place it in your mailbox with the flag up. The mail carriers will take care of the rest._

_We hope to hear from you soon,  
Principal Bernard Tailor_

I was speechless. I mean, what the hell are they inviting me for? I’m not rich, my family isn’t either. The only thing unique about me is my albinism, and if anything, I imagine that would turn them away.


	3. A Choice Is Made

The next twelve hours were a blur of thoughts surrounding that letter. The whirlwind only worsened once I arrived at school and had to think about what to tell my friends. On one hand, I could take one for the team and find out exactly why the school is so mysterious, but on the other, I would be leaving the only people I dared to call my friends. I guess I could make new friends, but it could turn out that everyone there would bully me, like most of the students at the school I currently attended. 

At last, the tornado of thoughts was quieted by the shrill, echoing ring of the bell. Lunch was upon us. Now I just have to figure out how to tell my friends that I might be transferring to a castle instead of a normal school.

Seeing the cafeteria in its normal state of chaos was strangely comforting. At least I wasn’t the only one with discord rumbling around inside. It was only bound to become more chaotic as I waited silently for my friends to gather and sit with me at our usual section of the large benches that littered the room.

“Dude, you looked like you were tripping balls during English, you good?” Vikki asked with the slightest bit of concern on her voice as she set down her lunch tray across from me. I lightly tapped the end of my plastic fork on the table with a slight smirk in her direction.

“Wait until the others are here, then I’ll tell ya.” She raised her thin eyebrows in response to my declamation. I suppose it was a little out of character for me to visibly show much emotion, especially emotion that involved a smirk.

Within the next two minutes, my group of people I called friends had all settled into their chosen seats at the bench, and thanks to Vikki not keeping her mouth shut, they were all waiting for me to enlighten them about what had happened last night.

“So, ya know how Diamond Lotus is _invite-only?_ ” I paused for dramatic effect. “Well, guess who’s ass they invited.” Once again I smirked, pointing my thumbs at myself with my eyes closed for the most dramatic effect I could think of. It was silent for a moment, But leave it to Luka to break it.

“Pff yeah ok, sure. Nice prank but I ain’t buying it.” My false expression of pride faltered. As soon as Luka finished, Vikki piped up.

“Wait, _seriously?!_ ” Ignoring Luka’s skepticism, she leaned over her tray of food, her hair just missing the top of her dressing-covered salad. Raina’s eyes widened as she quickly turned to her doubting boyfriend sitting to her left.

“Tay eenveete you? Zat eez great!” Without warning, Axel stood from the bench and held his arms wide as if offering a hug. However, I knew by now that he tends to wave his arms around when he’s excited.

“Proof?” Vikki and Luka asked in unison, their radically different voices clashing together. My pride-act disintegrated completely as I dug in my pocket for the note with proof of my invite. I unfolded the delicate paper and held it in front of me, offering it for the others to read. Luka reached to grab it, but Vikki swatted his hand away and attempted to grab it for herself, only for Luka to slap her hand in return. While the two argued, Raina gently took it from my hand, flipping her glasses from her head to resting on her nose. As she began to read aloud, Axel practically hurdled himself over the table to where the others were to get a better look at the note. Luka and Vikki stopped their catfight in its tracks upon hearing Raina begin to read.

“Dear Mr. Juzo Hideki, It is my honour as the principal of Diamond Lotus Academy to invite you to join us and attend our school.” Vikki dropped the hand that had previously been about to pull on Luka’s dusty blond hair as she listened intently. “No cost is necessary except for the purchase of one's own school supplies. If you wish to accept this invitation, please fill out the following forms, put all contents except this note back into the envelope, securely close it, and place it in your mailbox with the flag up. The mail carriers will take care of the rest.” Raina looked up from the paper she had been reciting from and directly at me. “We hope to hear from you soon, signed, Principal Bernard Tailor.” Luka looked from his girlfriend's surprised expression to my somewhat smug one in shock. Axel smiled widely as he bounced up and down, waiting for someone to break the silence. Vikki simply stared at me, mouth open in surprise.  
“W-well you have to go!” The others vigorously nodded in agreement. “I mean, those rich bastards go there, so it’s gotta be good, right?” A _compelling_ argument from Luka, and the others it seems. Vikki leaned in.

“Yeah, find out what they’re hiding!” She no less than demanded in a maniacal tone of voice. Axel slammed his hands against the flat top of the bench, causing the entire table to shake. Raina apologetically smiled at the other students who Axel surprised.

“Yea, go be vit reech keeds!” Another _compelling_ point. I smiled nervously and looked down at my lap.

“Jeez, do you guys wanna get rid of me that much?”

“Yea-” Luka was silenced by Vikki shoving him backwards.

“It’s not like we won’t be able to see or talk to each other at all. It’s a great opportunity, and you should take it.” Raina smiled reassuringly, paying no mind to her boyfriend, who had just been launched into another table.

“And if it totally sucks, just come back here!”

“Yes, wee steel be freends!” At some point, Axel had made his way back to the side of the table I was seated at, attacking me with a bone-crushing hug from behind. His black hair tickled my nose, creating the urge to sneeze.

“I-Heh yeah, you’re right.” I kept looking down as a faint dusting of pink made its way to my face, followed by a smile. I guess that’s that. I’ll be going to school at a castle soon. Might be good to have a fresh start.


	4. Fashion Design

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually chapter 3.5 but it wouldn't let me post it as such.

Luka and Axel had invited themselves over to my house to ‘hang out’, but I knew damn well that just meant they wanted to play games they couldn’t otherwise. In other words, this was the only way they could play against each other.

I sat at my desk, attempting to concentrate on the forms for my admission to Diamond Lotus, but failed miserably at the hands of my two friends shouting profanities at each other as they played video games. I may live in a house alone, but that hasn’t stopped my neighbors from personally knocking on the door and telling us to shut up in the past.

“Will you guys shut your traps, I don’t want to get scolded by Mr. Tomas. Again” I spun in my chair to look at them. They were both hunched over in intense concentration on the floor in between the side of my bed and the small TV that rested on a cardboard box filled with books I didn’t have a place for yet.

“Сука-” Axel growled as Luka plastered a smug expression of pride onto his sunburnt face. 

“Great, now Axel’s speaking Russian again. Look what ya did dumbass.” I sighed and gestured to Axel, who’s normally bright facade was now replaced with a scowl. The familiar sound of the end of a match sounded from the TV. I took the chance to quickly shut it off with the remote sitting beside my hand on the desk.

“Hey-” Luka started

“Sucks. Now come help me with this.” I spun back around in my chair as Luka set down the controller and walked over to the other side of my room, where my desk sat. Axel tossed his controller on my bed and basically ran Luka over as he lunged over to me. Luka merely groaned in response, rubbing the spot on his head where Axel had hit him seconds before.

“It’s just paperwork, why the hell do you need our help?” I pointed to the form, at the one provided space I hadn't already filled.

_Species:_

Axel looked flat out confused. I imagine he thought it was some weird English phrase he had yet to learn. Luka seemed puzzled as well, but definitely not to the same degree as the foreigner. 

“Uh, ethnicity? I dunno man, I guess whoever wrote this doesn’t speak English as a first language.” I took his advice since there wasn’t anywhere else that said ethnicity. I quickly wrote _half British, half Japanese._

“Dude, since when are you Japanese?” I looked up at him, questioning if he really was that dumb. I’d known they guy since middle school, you’d think he would know this by now

“My name is literally _Juzo Hideki_ , what the hell did you think I was? Hispanic?”

“Well, you don’t look Japanese.” Luka started his explanation, soon Axel chimed in as well.

“Khe look Canaideehen.” These guys really needed both a lesson in history as well as how genetics work.

“I look more like my mom, she's from England. I mean, I don’t _really_ look like either of my parents, but ya get the point.” My parents both had dark hair and brown eyes, so imagine their surprise when I, albino, showed up.

I flipped the page, getting bored of explaining genetics to them. I read the heading of the paper. _Uniform preference._

“Holy crap, you get to design your own uniform and they make it and mail it to you in two or three days!? What kinda rich people witchcraft is this?” I looked down at the rest of the paper's contents. So many options. At the bottom of the page, there was a small note. 

“As long as you wear at least one item with the school crest’s design on it, you are free to wear whatever else with it. Clothing items are available in the following colors; red, burgundy, orange, yellow, lime green, forest green, baby blue, sky blue, cobalt blue, lavender, violet, pastel pink, hot pink, white, gray, black, tan, and brown.” I recited from the paper. “Jesus Christ do they expect me to have a degree in fashion design?” The long list of color choices wasn’t all, the bulk of the paper’s space was taken up by the many options of shirts, jackets, even pants that are available. I looked up to Axel for some sort of guidance on the matter. His eyes darted around the room until he saw the half-open slider door to my closet.

“What are you doing? Going through his dirty clothes?” Luka questioned while turning toward the seemingly crazed Russian. I followed with a small spin in my chair. 

Without hesitation, Axel started sliding around hangers, opening and closing drawers, looking for god knows what. Luka nudged my shoulder with his elbow as we watched. “Careful Juzo, he might find your porn stash,” He said with a smirk. I elbowed him in the gut, causing his girlish giggles to turn into small coughs as he dramatically doubled over like he had been brutally stabbed in battle. I rolled my eyes before settling them on the guy frantically going through my closet. He turned around with a pair of slick black trousers I've never worn, along with a crimson silk necktie I didn’t even know I owned. With his free hand, he pointed to one of the options listed on the paper, a black button-up short sleeve. After a few seconds for me and Luka to read the paper, he stood up confidently, displaying the pants and tie with a smile.

“Ah? Vit black sheert. You leek?” I nodded, turning around and marking the black shirt on the paper.

“Wow, didn’t know you had a thing for fashion,” I started, but was cut off as Axel leaped back to the closet, this time pulling out a faded brown leather belt with a golden buckle. He then nodded, satisfied with his choice.


	5. The Sound Of Horse Shoes On Marble Tile

The week of waiting for my first day at Diamond Lotus practically killed me. It didn’t help that the only actual information I had about the school is the time to be there, the address, and a pass to get through security.

My anxiety was bouncing off the walls inside my brain as I carefully ventured the cobblestone path up the lush green forested hill. Along the path, there were lampposts that looked to be straight out of Victorian England with their rusted metal bent into spider-web like shapes that framed the glass lantern it kept prisoner. Many of the posts had bird nests tucked into the gaps in the metal, some with birds tending to their chicks, and some that appeared to have been abandoned long ago. They didn’t seem fazed in the slightest as I stepped past them, continuing their work with an out of tune song.

Vibrant flowers and other flora also lined the path beneath my shoes. An array of white, orange and pink roses reside among lilies of similar colors, painting the area warmly. They contrasted the rusty lamp posts as well as the dense forest on either side with their vibrancy.

After about ten minutes of climbing the steep hill, I had, at last, arrived at the grand metal gate. It was crafted in a very similar fashion to the lamp posts lining the trail. A large clock sat in the center of the overarching gate, hands moving around against its will, constantly forced to remind people of the time they will never be able to get back.

Something in the corner of my vision caught my attention. Swiftly moving my head, a gray blur could be seen, running faster than my eyes could process. Maybe it was that fox from last week. It’s quite possible that it had made the large forest it's home.

I shook off all the thoughts plaguing my mind, I need to focus on keeping the anxiety from crashing over me like a raging tsunami. I need to stay above the waves, keep my breath, and try to swim. I inhaled through my nose, holding in the oxygen for a few seconds, hopefully making its calming effect last longer than it would have otherwise. I held my security pass over the designated stand, similar to those at train stations in the city, as I held my breath. I finally let my breath go out of my mouth in a dramatic sounding huff as I saw that my pass had been accepted, letting me enter the great marble structure. God, it really was a castle.

Two tall stone statues dressed in knights’ armor guarded the door. I assume they were for people who wandered too close to the doors, to possibly scare them into thinking they were real. Before entering, I gave the one to my right a quick glance. It held a shining spear in its cold, stone grip. 

God, this was really happening, huh? It felt like some hazy fever dream, standing mere inches away from the intricately carved wooden doors of the untouchable castle I had seen from a great distance for many years. I took a step back, looking from the handle on the doors to my worn sneakers. I don’t belong here. I’m not rich. I’m not gifted. What does some bullied kid think he’s doing here? I'd be mocking its elegance by continuing to enter. I don’t deserve to be here, at all.

I stood there for at least two minutes, willing the hot tears in my eyes to stay. I was just so unbelievably frustrated with myself for not being good enough for this place. Hell, I wasn’t even good enough for my parents to stay. I haven’t told them anything about this. It’s not like they give a damn about me anyway. If they did, they would be here, with me. You know, if they won’t love this shitty version of me, maybe I'll give them something to love. This'll be my attempt at earning their approval. If they heard their son was going to a school like this, maybe they would come back. Maybe even be proud.

Without giving myself a chance to wimp out, I dove my hand in my pocket and pulled out a map that was given to me in the letter. I unfolded its wrinkles acquired in my pocket as I tried to burn its contents into my mind. Without taking my eyes off the map, I shoved the door open with my side, spinning to walk forward once I had cleared the door. I didn’t want to look up from the paper, fearing a tsunami of panic flooding over me.

A dumb choice.

After only about 20 steps onto the shiny marble tiles of the floor, I crashed into something big. A bookshelf? No, it was… Warm? What the hell did I run into? Before I had time to decide the victim of my crashing, I roughly met the cool marble floor. I immediately sat up, frantically looking around for an explanation, as if simply skimming over my surroundings could give my one. The map that was previously in my grasp now gracefully fell on my left shoe.

“Oh shit- I’m sorry, are you ok?” The unknown voice was as smooth as silk but deep like the ocean. My head flew upwards so I could face the owner of that unique voice. 

If my skin could go any paler, I’m sure it would. A horse stood in front of me. What the fuck was a horse even doing here? Is this some rich person thing? Riding horses to class? I then looked closer at the horse’s legs only a few inches away from my feet. Its hooves were purple? That is definitely not natural. But wait, Who had spoken if there is a purple hooved horse? My eyes darted upwards to where I assumed the rider would be. What the _fuck?_

I was met with a pale hand being held out to help me stand. However, attached to that hand was the sculpted torso of a man, but the lower body of a pure white stallion. A golden horn glinted in the lights hanging above. 

“Um, you ok?” the silky voice now sounded worried. I don’t know how to react. Who the hell would!? I stared at the ‘man’, paralyzed in fear. He looked at me with shimmering violet eyes, long hair getting in the way and covering them slightly.

My body reacted before I could will it too. I stumbled backward, kicking my legs out dangerously fast, attempting to gain traction on the smooth marble, but to no avail. The stranger's face was now slightly twisted in confusion.

“Wh- h- I ca-” I stuttered out, losing my hands grip in the tile, slipping. The sound of my skull hitting the hard floor was a dull, lifeless sound, and so was the black that was now completely covering my vision.


	6. Nurses Office

“Hey, do you know who this guy is?” Every sound I heard felt murky as if I was floating in the faded water of a swamp. The faint rustling of drawers being shut and papers being looked through quietly echoed through my mind. Soon, another voice spoke up.

“Uh, it looks like his name is Juzo Hideki. Guessing by the map, I think he’s new.” At last, I started fluttering my eyes open slightly, my pupils dilating immediately in reaction to the bright light above me.

“Oh god, I made the new kid pass out?” 

“Heh, looks like it.”

“He’s lucky he ran into me instead of Harvey....” a quiet chuckle was heard as I started to move my fingers. Jesus, my head was pounding.

“Oh, he’s waking up!” Before the voice could reach me, my eyes shot open and I rapidly sat up, gasping for air, relieved I was no longer paralyzed. I sat there, heaving deep breaths, and tightly gripping my shirt as I rummaged through my memories. After a couple of seconds, I felt a hand on my shoulder, gently pushing my back down to a flat position. I followed, not knowing what else to do.

“Wh- A horse? Wait- I-” Was all I managed to wheeze out.

“Hey, hey, take it easy. You’ll be fine, just relax. You’re in the school nurse's office, so there's nothing to worry about.” The voice was surprisingly reassuring. I began to slump my shoulders and regulate my breathing, a cold sweat making its way to my already clammy palms. The person, who I assumed to be the nurse, gently patted my shoulder. I turned my head to get a look at them, only for my eyes to widen in shock.

“You, your ears… Pointy-” He gave a nervous smile in return, closing his eyes as well.  
“Well yeah, I’m an elf.” In all honesty, that wasn’t the weirdest thing that I’ve seen today. Maybe he knows what the hell I ran into. Better to get the information I needed before questioning his pointy ears.

“Do- Do you happen to know what I ran into?” Before the ‘elf’ could answer, a familiar voice made its presence known. That’s right, there’s someone else here. 

“To put it bluntly, you ran into my ass.” The tall figure stated, crossing his arms. My mouth went dry as I took in his features. Long, shiny white hair, with a rainbow iridescent shine. An even shinier golden horn protruding from his forehead, along with a pair of soft-looking horse ears on the sides of his head. Vivid violet eyes stared back at me, long white eyelashes getting in the way. His lavender colored shirt was only half buttoned up, revealing his chest. The sleeves were rolled up just past his elbows, showing off a few golden bangles on his wrists. The most ‘unique’ part of him was his lower body. His horse lower body. 

“S-Sorry…” We stared at each other for a moment, my red eyes burning into his purple ones. Our staring contest came to an end when the ‘elf’ once again put his hand on my shoulder, this time for support.

“Can you stand? Anything hurt?” He asked while steadying my body as I attempted to stand. It was rather awkward seeing as I was a good few inches taller.

“Yeah, just a headache, but I’m fine.” Honestly, I didn’t have enough energy to question the strange appearances of either of the men in the room. “I’ll go with them and see what they want,” I thought to myself, “Hopefully they’re harmless.” 

I slowly walked to the door with the elf’s help, the horse guy opened the door for us as I glanced at his tallness. “My name’s Lancealot, sorry about earlier.”

“It’s fine. My name’s Juzo. By the way, where are we going?” I looked down at my barely moving feet as we continued to walk on dark oak floorboards. Lancealot’s hooves made a satisfying clicking sound against the wood.

“Just a bit farther, we're going to the principal’s office so he can meet you, ok? Don’t worry, he won't bite,” he looked up and Lancealot and gave him a slightly worried look. “Hopefully Harvey won’t be there…” He mumbled under his breath. Who was this Harvey? Was he another elf or something? Before I got the chance to ask, Lancealot opened a large wooden door, holding it for us. Once inside, the elf let go of my shoulder and I stood on my own. I must have not hit my head super hard if I can still walk and stuff. I looked around at the room I was in now. Seemed nice. A large wooden desk sat in front of an even larger window that shed light all over the room. Two fancy looking chairs sat facing the desk, I assume for guests. I moved my eyes around the room, not really sure of what I was looking for. I was snapped out of my scan of the room by a loud voice.

“Well, hello, to what do I owe the pleasure gentlemen,” He then noticed me, awkwardly standing by the door. “My, you look a little worse for wear son. How about you sit down, take it easy.” He smiled brightly and gestured to the two chairs facing the desk. I muttered a ‘thank you’ and sat in the one on the right, sinking into the soft velvet.

The man I assumed to be the principal I was here to see was just as unusual as the other men I had seen. He appeared to be a living statue, Similar to the ones guarding the doors outside, however, this one was much, _much_ shorter. Instead of shining armor, he wore a forest green and tan suit. It fit his short and stout stature well. It also fit perfectly around his stone wings and tail. A living gargoyle maybe? But I thought those were supposed to be scary. This man was far from scary with his bright smile and animated voice. He ran a clawed hand through his short hair, mixing the gray strands in with the brown, and tucking it behind his pointed ears. Joyfully He skipped over to the opposite side of the desk and settled into a chair that was obviously too large for his small form. The elf took the chair to my left, Lancealot settling his horse body onto the ground to my right. The elf took this chance to explain.

“This is Juzo, He’s new here,” He lifted his arm to point at me lazily. “I think he may be… _Unfamiliar_ with… Us, if you know what I mean.” As if in a cartoon, the principal’s comically bushy eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. “Earlier Juzo here ran into Lancealot and passed out. He said Juzo looked scared of him before he passed out in the middle of the lobby. Lancealot brought him to my office, he woke up soon after, and now, here we are. He also seemed very surprised at the sight of my ears.”

“You’re… Human, aren’t you Juzo?” The principal seemed embarrassed.

“Well, yeah I’m human-” I was cut off by a side door that was opened, and yet another strange-looking man came through.

“Here’s your coffee-” His piercing gaze landed on me, drilling fear into my very soul. “My, my, and who might you be?” He said in a vaguely threatening manner, setting a delicate teacup and saucer on the desk in front of the principal. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the elf look down to his lap at the sight of the strange man. He seemed scared. The principal slapped a nervous smile on his face and turned to face the taller man standing at the side of his desk.

“This is Juzo! He’s uh,” He paused. “Our first _human_ student…” The principal wilted slightly as those words left his mouth, Chuckling nervously as he waited for a reaction. Once again, intense eyes settled on me. Yeah, I’m definitely scared of this guy, and by the looks of it, I wasn’t the only one. The man, who has faded red skin, two large horns, pointed ears, a tail, and wore a perfectly tailored tailcoat then turned back to the principal.

“The _one_ time I let you scout students, and _this_ is what happens!?” His calm act was fading all too quickly. I then noticed the only visibly calm person in the room as he spoke up.

“Harvey, don’t get your panties in a twist-” _This_ was Harvey? No wonder the elf seemed scared, this dude is straight-up demonic. Harvey slammed a hand on the desk, whipping his head around to angrily face Lancealot, who seemed quite confident. The elf jumped slightly.

 _“Excuse me!?”_ Thankfully, the principal chimed in before something violent happened.

“Boys, boys, calm down! We can settle this civilly-”

_“Boy?_ I am _much_ older than you, Bernard.” If he really was that old, he certainly didn’t look like it. He appeared to be in his early twenties, the principal, on the other hand, looked to be pushing sixty or seventy.

There was an awkward silence. I was sweating nervously. What is up with this guy?

“Ahem,” the principal cleared his throat, moving the attention from Harvey’s temper tantrum and back to him. “I would like to invite Juzo here to join us at the school. Think of it as an apology for mistaking you for something… Not human. You see, Juzo, as you know, this school keeps itself a mystery, and the reason is that it is a ‘haven’ for our society's youth who aren’t human like you. Like Mr. Licorne here. As you can see,” he gestured to Lancealot with his clawed, stone hand. “He is a centaur. In fact, his whole family is.” He then dramatically gestured to himself, smiling proudly. “I, as you might have noticed, am a gargoyle!” Wow, I was right. He turned to Harvey next. “And Mr. Blakehous is a demon. Unlike Lancealot, he is not a student. To put it simply, he takes care of the building and its inhabitants.”

This didn’t feel real. Real wasn’t this _cool._ I could go to school with a bunch of mythical creatures! Seems safe enough, and honestly, I don’t really care if it isn’t. Raina was right, I should take this opportunity, as crazy as it may be.

I had grown up seeing characters in movies or games getting this chance, and it was finally my turn. I wasn’t just a background character anymore. I’m well aware my logic seems askew, but I mean, come on, this has gotta be the best thing to ever happen to my boring self.

After all, if I declined and still knew about all this, they might make me shut up, _for good._ Harvey looked like he was ready to do so any second.

I stood from my chair, gaining a look from everyone in the room. I looked at the principal in the eyes with a determined smile. “I accept your offer. And of course, I’ll keep this all a secret from the public.” With the exception of Harvey’s glare, everyone else looked at me in shock. The principal leaped around the desk with a few flutters of his stone wings. Before I really knew what was going on, heavy arms tightly hugged me. 

“Yes, that's wonderful!”

“Bernard, that’s rather unprofessional-” The principal seemed to just now realize that he was hugging me. He took a step back, smiling sheepishly up at me. Considering this man was a literal stature, he had such a big heart. “Excuse me, but don’t you think you’re rushing into this blind? Are you really just going to trust all of us without a second thought?” I got the feeling Harvey didn’t exactly want me here. I know I’m jumping to conclusions, but I have a feeling we won’t be getting along very well, but, that only made me want to be here even more, just to spite him.

“I’ve got nothing to lose, so why not?” He only scoffed in response, earning a giggle from Lancealot.

“I’m glad I’ll have someone ballsy enough to stand up to Harvey with me in class.” Lancealot stood, smiling down at me.


	7. A Grand Tour

“Mr. Tailor, can I give him a tour? Please?” Lancealot begged. I had to hold back a laugh as he wagged his tail like a dog. He seemed so excited that I was here like he’s never met a human before. Maybe that’s why he’s so interested in me.

The principal, that I now know is called Mr. Tailor, chuckled, giving another one of his signature ear to ear grins. “My, I’m glad you’re excited Lancealot. Sure, go ahead, introduce him to some others too if you can. I’d much rather it be you than hot tamales over here.” I don’t think Harvey liked being called ‘hot tamales’ considering he practically hissed like a cat at Mr. Tailor.

The elf put his hand on my arm, subtly getting my attention. “By the way, My name is Percy, I’m one of the nurses here. If anything happens, just pay me a visit, alright?” I could tell he still seemed a bit uneasy about the demon in the room by how quiet he spoke. Poor guy, he had obviously fallen victim to Harvey’s intimidation a long time ago. I gave him a smile that I hoped was reassuring and nodded. Without warning, I felt a warm arm being draped around my shoulder.

“You ready to see some inhuman teenage trainwrecks?” I nervously laughed as Lancealot leaned in a little too close for comfort with his arm laying across my shoulders.

“Uh yeah, I guess.” He hummed in approval and turned us toward the door. Percy shot me a sympathetic smile as Lancealot let the door sway shut. Once out the door, he took back his arm and stood in front of me gracefully. Somehow, everything this guy did was overwhelmingly graceful.

“Ok, wait here for a sec, I’ll go get your stuff from the nurse's office.” Lancealot said, trotting off to the office with a dramatic bounce in his steps.

“What the in the hells are you thinking, Bernard? The whole reason this school exists is for humans to _not_ be here.” Harvey’s voice could be heard through the door. Unfortunately, the wood of the door couldn’t filter out the venom in his words.

“It’s the least I could do to apologize. I mean, I mistook him for some sort of vampire…” The principal thought I was a vampire? I guess it makes sense considering how pale I am, but still.

“Then throw some money at him, it’s not like we don't have any!”

“He said he wanted to be here, Harvey!”

“That’s the concussion talking! He hit his damn head, remember?”

“He…” Percy?

“Spit it out, elf. I don’t have all day.”

“I just don’t think it’s the concussion, if he even has one to begin with. H-He looked genuinely interested…”

Harvey scoffed “Whatever, as long as he doesn't screw something up, like _somebody_ , I’ll let him stay.” There was a pause. “Besides, what do you know?” The next thing I heard was the slam of a door. I assume it was Harvey going back into the room he came from. What was his deal? He seemed to not like Percy, more than he seemed to dislike everyone else. Something must have happened between them, causing Percy to fear him. Lancealot seemed to be the only one to be unfazed by the demon.

All was quiet until the familiar click-clack sound broke the silence. Smiling brightly, Lancealot held my bag out for me to grab. Taking the bag from his grasp, he grabbed my arm and began to pull me across the wood floors. “I know a place we can stash that when we pass by it.” I just now noticed that we were on a hallway like balcony that wrapped around the sides of the second floor. At the far side from the entrance, there were two huge staircases that connected at the top. That’s where the railing of the balcony ended and spiraled down the slight curve of the staircase.

“Wanna play a game? It’s a guessing game.”

“Oh- um, sure.” A game? What kind of guessing game involved being pulled across a balcony by a unicorn? Even though he was moving at a slow trotting speed, I still had to jog to keep up. Stupid human legs slowing me down.

“Ok, so here’s how to play; when I introduce you to my friends, and probably some other classmates, you have to guess what they are. Sound good?” He seemed so excited about the game, and I didn’t want to let him down. Besides, it sounded pretty fun anyway. I nodded as we reached the stairs. “We’ll start on the first floor. You were out for about an hour, so everyone’s in class right now, but in a couple of minutes, it will be break. The first introduction will be my best friend! I know you’ll love her.” He explained with a wide smile as we descended the staircase. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse use stairs. It looked kinda weird.

Upon arriving at the landing at the bottom of the stairs, I realized just how grand this place really was. In the ‘lobby’, as Percy had called it, was several bookshelves, chairs, couches, desks, and lamps, that created a circular maze with a fountain in the middle. What I assumed to be classrooms were located on either side of the maze, just like on the second floor. On each side of the staircases, there were short hallways that lead to another part of the building. In between the two stacks of stairs were two columns, framing yet another hallway, this one about half the size of the others. The second floor was similar, with a large statue dividing the space into two, creating two parallel hallways on either side.

“First stop on the tour; the lobby!” Lancealot dramatically spun around, holding his arms above his head as to say ‘behold, a very large room’. He bent down to my height and waved a finger back and forth in between our faces. “It may look like a library, but do not be fooled,” He stood to his full height once again, then lifting himself even higher by standing on his back legs. He stretched out his right arm and pointed up to behind the statue on the second floor. “The real library is up there.” I smiled at his flamboyant antics as a soft bell-like tone sounded throughout the building. Quickly returning to four legs, he rushed over to me, gripping my shoulders and leaning in. “It’s time,” He moved his hand so that he could drag me again. “Let’s go!”

He stopped abruptly, causing me to run into his shoulder, thankfully I didn’t end up passing out this time. An almost squeaky voice then caught my attention.

“Lance! Who is this? Is he new!?” A tall girl ran up to ‘Lance’, jumping up and hugging him tightly. I waved shyly as she eyed me over Lancealot’s shoulder. She had vibrant purple and pink eyes, similar to Lancealot’s, but hers were covered with circle framed glasses. As she hopped down, I noticed she was nearly the same height as me, along with the ears and tail of some sort of canine. She open mouth smiled, showing off her rather large fangs, as she grabbed my hand and began vigorously shaking it, her bright purple pigtails flowing along with the motion of the handshake.

“Hi, I’m Atsumi Oboro, but you can just call me Atsumi! It’s so nice to meet you!” She barked out quickly, not letting go of my hand.

“Um, my name’s Juzo Hideki, nice to meet you too…” I said sheepishly, not being able to match her high energy. Lancealot put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in closer to the fluffy ears on the top of her head.

“And guess what? He’s _human._ And, he’s here to stay, much to Harvey’s dismay.” Atsumi audibly gasped at this news, her tail wagging profusely.

“Really!? That’s so cool! I can’t believe Harvey let you stay!” Apparently, Harvey was quite well known among the students. As Atsumi bounced up and down in excitement, Lancealot caught something in the corner of his vision, his ears perking up in interest.

“Hey Dion, come’re a sec!” He called. Luckily there weren't too many students roaming around yet, so his volume couldn’t disturb anyone. The clicking of hooves against marble filled my ears once again, this time, from behind. Suddenly, I felt a presence to my left. I looked over to see yet another centaur, but this one was about my height and didn’t have a horn, like Lancealot.

“Yeah?” The other centaur questioned, slight annoyance in his tone.

“Juzo,” My attention snapped to the sight of Lancealot half hugging the new person, who was now in front of me with the others. “This is my little brother, Dion! Dion, this is Juzo, he’s new.” Wait, brother? They looked nothing alike aside from the purple eyes. Dion was a bit shorter, and his lower body was covered in black fur. A pair of large wings lay folded on his back as well. His hair was styled almost identical to mine, but his was a shiny jet black that matched his wings and lower half perfectly. He nervously fiddled with the white button-up under his dark grey knit sweater as he sat uncomfortably under Lancealot’s embrace.  
“It’s nice to meet you…” He seemed much shyer than his brother. They were like Yin and Yang. Maybe if I seemed confident, he would follow. I stood up straight and held out my hand for him to shake. He took it with a bit of hesitation, using his other hand to move some black hair out of his eyes.

“I’m new here, it’s nice to meet you too, I hope he can be friends.” Atsumi seemed to be the only one to notice my change in demeanor, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. Quickly realizing the situation, she giggled and skipped back over to the taller of the two centaurs.

“Ok, you’re free now.” Lancealot waved a hand in the air at Dion, who in return nervously chuckled and trotted away into the crowd of students. As I watched all the creatures begin to fill the hallways, two hands were roughly placed on my shoulders, spinning me around. “Sorry, saw the opportunity and took it,” Lancealot began. “Anyways, can you guess what Atsumi here is?” Her ears perked up at the sound of her name.

“A game?! Does he have to guess what I am? How many guesses does he get?” She rocked back and forth on her heels, lightly hitting Lancealot on the arm as she spewed countless questions into the air.

“Let’s go with three guesses, keep it simple.” This situation isn’t exactly what I would call simple.

“Um… Werewolf?” As if practiced, both Lancealot and Atsumi raised their arms to form an ex in front of themselves.

“Think about her name. Think about where she’s from.” Where she’s from? Her name sounded Japanese, like mine. A Japanese werewolf? No, that would’ve fallen into the werewolf category. Wait, maybe not a wolf. Neko? No, those definitely weren’t cat ears, and the tail was too fluffy. Fox? What's the Japanese word for fox? I put a finger to my chin as I thought.

“Kitsune, final answer.” Lancealot lightly applauded with a smile. Atsumi smiled widely, showing off her fangs, as well as throwing out a thumbs up in my direction.


	8. Eyes Everywhere

It seemed everywhere I went, an intense gaze kept watch of my every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The only time I was freed from the stare was when I left school. It’s as if it couldn’t leave.

As I flopped on my bed, causing several squeaks, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to my _human_ friends, asking to start a call. I’m sure they want to know about Diamond Lotus. Of course, I wouldn’t tell them about the _unique_ aspects of it, but I could tell them some basic things.

Within five minutes, Luka and Vikki had responded, starting a call soon after. “So, how's the rich bitch school treatin ya?” Vikki asked excitedly. If they could ever meet, I think her and Atsumi would get along well.

“Pretty good. Fell and ended up spending most of my first day in the nurse’s office though…” I could hear Luka stifling a laugh.

“Wow, nice going dumbass.” At this point, he had given up trying to mask his laughter. I sighed loudly, shaking my head.

“Says the guy who spilled water all over his crotch on the first day of middle school.” I could almost feel his embarrassment through the phone. Vikki burst into a fit of giggles, not knowing about that incident until now.

“Dude- I’ve gone like two years without anyone bringing that up…” His complaining was good enough revenge for me. 

“What other dumb shit did Luka do before I transferred?” Vikki asked, still giggling.

“Those will have to wait for when I need them. Plus, I don’t even know all of them. I wasn’t friends with him until last year.” I grabbed a pillow from the top of my bed and used it to prop myself up as I talked. “Ok, so you guys wanna know about the people there?”

“No-”

“Shut up Luka, I wanna know!”

“Whatever…” I chuckled at their arguing, fidgeting with my watch I always wore on my left wrist.

“Well, the first guy I met is called Lancealot-” I was cut off by Vikki.

“Wait- Lancealot _Licorne!?_ ” How’d she know him?

“Uh, yeah I think so, why?”

“Are you kidding me!? The oldest son of _the_ Licorne family? Tall, long hair, unbelievably hot?” Oh god, she has a crush on the horse. Back on my first day, Lancealot had mentioned that they used some sort of magic in order to appear human sometimes. I guess I totally forgot that his family is kind of famous.

“Yeah, sounds like him. I met his brother too. Nice kid.” Vikki squealed

“Oh. My. God. You _have_ to introduce us sometime! I’ve been a fan of his for _years_. His Instagram has like fourteen k followers, and for a good reason too. He models for fashion companies and oh my god does he look beautiful in the pictures.” I didn’t know Vikki was such a Lancealot fan girl.

“I’ll see what I can do, but no guarantees, ok?” I said nervously. I don’t know if it would be such a good idea considering how Vikki can be. I rolled over on my bed, looking out the window. I was met by a pigeon sitting on the windowsill, staring back at me.

The pigeon remained on my window for the entire rest of our call, never looking away. Just creepily staring at me as I chatted with my friends. Eventually, the call ended, and I got ready for bed. I shut the blinds as I got into bed for the night, totally forgetting to eat dinner.


	9. Would You Like Some Chocolate?

Thank god my alarms are set to go off each weekday on their own, I would be completely screwed if they weren’t automatic. I had slept through the blaring alarm for about ten minutes, making my already limited time before school even more scarce. I rushed around my room, tripping over my own feet. I basically ripped off my old, worn-out t-shirt I had slept in. Unfortunately, I got a bit stuck within the fabric and ended up crashing into the wall. Great, just what I needed, a broken nose. Whatever, I don’t need a nose to be on time. After struggling blindly for a few seconds, I finally won the battle. I whipped the shirt over and off my head. In the confusion of getting stuck in my shirt, I had somehow made my way across the room, directly in front of the window. The pigeon from last night was gone. Finally. I didn’t want a bird stalking me while I was half-naked.

I jumped into my black slacks and threaded my belt through the loops, buckling it messily. I jammed my cold feet into a random pair of socks, not caring if they matched. I then grabbed my phone, bag, and button-up shirt and proceeded to rush down the stairs. Tossing my bag into the middle of the kitchen tiles, I ran to the bathroom and shoved a dry toothbrush into my mouth, rapidly scratching my teeth with its bristles with one hand while I finger-combed my messy white hair. My button-up shirt that was now draped over my bare shoulder slipped off into my back, and then to the floor, only becoming more wrinkled than it was already. I spit out the water into the porcelain sink. I hit my arm on the sink when I reached down to grab my shirt on the floor, but I don't have time to care. 

I threw the fabric over my shoulders and threaded my arms through it as I slid into the kitchen to grab my bag and something to eat on the way. Opening the cupboard next to the fridge, I blindly searched for something to suppress my growling stomach. I retracted my hand to find a granola bar in my grasp. That’ll work. I shoved it into my pocket and leaned to the side to pick up my bag, but unfortunately, the smooth tile had other plans.

“Shit-” I slipped and fell, landing on my side with a thud, crushing my breakfast. I’m sure this is nature telling me to chill, but I choose to ignore it. I stood up with a sigh, dusting off my pants, and speed walking to the door. Luckily, my laziness came in handy for once, as my shoes were already tied, ready to be slipped on. I grabbed my key from the small table adjacent to the doors and walked out, closing and locking the door behind me. I then pocketed the small metal pieces and turned to jog down the walkway to the street, buttoning my shirt on the way.

____

Finally, I had made it to the station. Barely. I sighed in relief as the doors of the train immediately shut behind me. On the way, I had already buttoned my shirt and downed the granola bar, so there wasn’t really anything to do but catch my breath on the way to my stop. After taking a moment to compose myself, I carefully walked across the rattling train to an empty seat nearby. I practically wilted into the plastic chair as I moved my hair from my forehead in an attempt to cool down. Crap. I forgot to put on sunscreen. Maybe I could pay one of the vampires to use some of theirs. Worst case scenario, I go to the nurse's office and ask for something. Maybe someone had an umbrella I could borrow. 

I was torn from my thoughts by the faint sound of giggles. I turned my head to see what the commotion was, only to find another student. I’m surprised the train wasn’t more crowded. I guess most people had woken up on time and wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and just walk. I don’t really have that option.

Upon noticing my gaze, the giggling student raised a hand to cover their mouth, but never stopped giggling. I gave them a confused look, only to receive a full-on laugh. Ok, rude.

They lowered their hand to speak, “Sorry, it’s just- your shirt…” I looked down at my shirt. There was nothing wrong with it. Wait, yes there was. It looks like I had skipped a button, causing there to be a gap across my chest. I quickly moved to fix it.

“You didn’t have to laugh ya know…” I won’t lie, I’m a bit embarrassed, not that I would ever admit it to them.

“Hey, at least I told ya,” They raised a chocolate bar to their mouth and took a bite, chewing quickly, then smiling. “I’m Clover.” She leaned forward and held out her non-chocolate-occupied hand for me to shake. With the movement of her torso, tons of light brown hair shifted, flowing around her small frame like a waterfall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such long hair.

I reluctantly took her smaller hand in mine, shaking briefly. “Juzo…” She leaned back and adjusted her hair so she wouldn’t sit on it or otherwise pull on it.

“Well nice to meet ya Juzo, rough morning? You look, well, rushed.” She took another bite from the chocolate bar. As she swept the strands of hair covering her face, I noticed her skin was splattered with freckles as well as two deep green eyes staring back at me.

“Uh, yeah, slept through my alarm…” I averted my eyes and raised my arm to scratch the back of my neck as soon as she noticed my eyes looking into hers. Her foot fidgeted against her bag, which was slumped against the metal frame of the seat.

“Would you like some chocolate?” She offered.

I looked up to face her again. “Oh, no thanks, I’m good.” She nodded slightly before taking a bite. Who just eats chocolate from a bar?

“Hm, I’ve never seen someone with red eyes before,” She tilted her head slightly to the side. “Albinism I’m guessing?” I nodded, looking at my feet.

“Um yeah, sorry if it bothers you.”

“Why would it bother me-” She was abruptly cut off by the train coming to a sharp halt. I stood as the doors slid open.

“This is my stop. Nice to meet you.” I quickly looked back for just a second, before stepping out into the platform and jogging through the station. I almost forgot the weird looks people give me when I'm out in public. That was just a reminder I suppose. A blunt one.


	10. Held Prisoner

I had already been here for a few days, but apparently, there are special classes you can take once or twice a week. Today, I have one of those classes. Luckily for me, Lancealot has the same class, photography.

We hadn’t played his guessing game since I met Atsumi, but I’m sure we’ll be playing again today since this class had several unfamiliar people in it. Not that I was all too familiar with my normal classmates.

As we walked across the cool marble floor tiles, Lancealot spoke up in a cheerful tone. “Today, we shall play the game again,” Looks like my guess was right. “This one will be rather difficult. Maybe even the _most_ difficult. To be honest, I just want to see how this will go down.”

“Jeez, just because I knew what Atsumi was does not mean I’ll know whatever this person is.” He lightly patted the top of my head, giving me a closed-eyed smile.

“That’s what I’m counting on.” I sighed in defeat.

Can you at least tell me a bit about them? Give me a fighting chance?” He giggled, adjusting the rolled-up sleeves of his lavender colored shirt.

“Well, let's see… His name is Nik, he’s the teacher of this class, not that he actually teaches much. He prefers a more ‘free-range’ method.” He moved to look down at me, displaying his signature smirk. “Here’s a random detail that may be of use; Nik is only about _four years old_.” I gave him a confused look. How the hell could a four-year-old be a teacher?

“Don’t worry, he only acts like he’s four.” Lancealot landed a swift slap to my back, then trotted on ahead.

“Hey- Wait up!” I called out as he giggled.

____

Once we made it to the classroom, I noticed the lack of other students. We must be early. After setting his things down at a desk on the back, Lancealot dramatically raised his arm as if he was in some crappy stage play with every spotlight on him.

“Nik, I have brought him!” He announced to the whole class. The other students paid no mind to his antics. They must be used to it.

“Oh, Indeed you have!” Without warning, a slightly distorted voice appeared directly behind me. I spun around as fast as I could. I was met by an… interesting looking man. His entire body was in black and white, except his hair, which was separated into six streaks of color. His eyes were also quite unordinary. His left eye was completely black, and shiny, almost like a phone screen. His right eye was white with thin black circular lines surrounding a small dot in the middle. I’m guessing that was supposed to be his pupil. 

“Well, It’s very nice to meet you! I’m Nik.” His movements were like a cartoon character. His body made strange noises like that of a camera lens retracting as he held out one of his hands for me to shake. He seemed almost robotic. His voice sounded like it was playing from a radio or an old movie.

I took his hand and shook quickly. It felt like cool plastic. When I let go, Lancealot put his hands on my shoulders gently, leaning down to get closer to my height.

“My my, you seem alarmed…” He teased. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.” I slowly turned back to Nik, who was still calmly smiling directly at me.

“Indeed! In fact, I have no real teeth!” He announced, throwing both his hands up like a performer who just finished their show.

“O-Ok then....” Wow, he does kind of act like a four-year-old. I looked behind me in an attempt to silently ask for help but was only met by Lancealot nodding in agreement.

“This is true, he doesn’t have any actual teeth. The ones you see in his mouth are just for show.” Lancealot gently pushed me a little bit to the side so he could lean closer to Nik. “Ok Nik, we're playing a game where Juzo here has to guess what you are, so don’t help him cheat.” He said with a wink. Nik puffed out his chest and saluted to Lancealot like he was the captain and Nik was the new recruit. 

Not long after, the rest of the students of the class, including Atsumi, rolled in and class began. Our assignment was simple; take at least ten pictures with the cameras provided. Don’t disturb other classes or leave campus. Easy enough I suppose. The other students seemed to stick together in pairs or trios, so I followed their lead and walked with Lancealot and Atsumi. 

“I say we go outside today,” Atsumi suggested while lightly skipping down the path as we made our way through the halls of the grand building. Me and Lancealot both replied with a nod. I had something I wanted to ask them though.

“Hey, can I ask you guys something?” I sheepishly asked while fidgeting with the sleek black camera in my hands. The others looked at each other, then back to me.

“Oh, go ahead.” Somehow Lancealot managed to say that in a serious tone. Did not think that was possible.

“So, Harvey- What’s his deal? I mean, everyone seems to know him… And fear him. Is he just strict or is he actually… to be feared?” Lancealot looked upwards to the ceiling in thought, considering his answer carefully.

“Well, besides simply being racist against humans in general, I imagine he must be quite angry.”

“Yeah, I mean, he’s been trapped on this property for over a hundred years. He’s probably just sad…” Atsumi said, looking down at her feet as we walked. I guess when Harvey said he was much older than the principal, he wasn’t lying. Demons must not age like humans.

“Trapped? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t think anyone knows exactly why,” Atsumi started. “But there are some rumors that make sense. I think he was summoned to Earth by the man who created- or wanted to create- this building. He couldn’t find anyone willing to help him, so he summoned Harvey. For whatever reason, the man died before the construction was complete, stranding Harvey here. Summoning demons is something that very few people understand, so nobody- Maybe not even Harvey- Knows why or how he got stuck here.” Lancealot held the door for Atsumi as she finished, then passed it to me after she had walked through. I caught something out of the corner of my eye, stopping me. When I turned to investigate, I saw nothing but the empty ballroom sized area we had just walked through. I’m probably just seeing things.

“You coming?” Lancealot asked from outside.

“Uh yeah, just thought I saw something.” I took one last glance before walking through the door. I swear I’ve seen that before. That quick flash of silver. I’m still not sure what it is, but I knew it was something.

I had to jog for a few steps to catch up to the others, who were already laying in the grass. I sat next to them. “So, is everyone scared of him, or is he just messing with me?”

“Both, in a way. Everyone here knows not to mess with him, or at least get caught messing with him. And I can guarantee, he’s _not_ messing with you. I’m pretty sure the only reason he hasn’t killed you is because he wants to be respected, and he knows damn well that nobody will do that if he goes and kills some kid who’s done nothing wrong.” I gulped and looked down at the many blades of grass swirling in the light breeze. “Don’t worry about it too much. Just try not to break rules and stuff and you’ll be fine. He’s like a bee; don’t give him a reason to sting and he won’t.” Atsumi rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up with her elbows.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I won’t let him kill ya, you’re too cute!” My face quickly flushed a bright red at her comment. How was she confident enough to just say something like that so casually. Stupid pale face, made blushing so much more obvious.

“Hey, you broke him.” Lancealot elbowed the smaller girl before rolling over in the grass once more. Atsumi only giggled.

“No- I’m f-fine,” I said, covering my face with my left hand, only earning giggles from both.

“Lance, you’re going to get all green again,” Atsumi stated, causing the centaur to stop mid-roll for a moment, then shoot up to stand in the now flattened grass beneath him.

“Shit, you’re right. I don’t want Kana calling me a leprechaun. Again.” He commented. Atsumi stood as well, helping him brush the faint grass stains off his previously white coat. I also stood, dusting off any grass that may have attached itself to my clothes.  
“So, is there anyone that Harvey doesn’t despise?” I asked as the three of us began walking across the large field. 

“Not that I know of,” Lancealot replied with a chuckle.

“That’s not true, he’s pretty nice to most of the students and teachers. He just hates you because you constantly annoy him, Lance.” Atsumi replied, throwing a smirk towards the pouting centaur

“Is there anyone he specifically likes?” I asked. I want to gather as much information on the mysterious demon as I could.

Atsumi put a clawed finger to her chin. “Well, he gets along pretty well with the principal. I’ve seen him get pretty chummy with the librarian too-“

“Wait, _chummy?_ ” Lancealot interrupted.

“Not like that, I mean, come on, this is Harvey we’re talking about,” Atsumi slowed her pace, leaning down briefly to snap a picture or two of the large tree in the distance.


	11. Like A Polaroid

After our adventure of taking pictures outside, the three of us headed back inside the large walls of the castle-like school. Since this hour's classes were almost done, a few students wandered the great halls of the building, swiftly moving from one destination to the next, just as we are. The familiar clicking noise of hooves on marble rang in unison with the sharp taps of Atsumi’s heeled shoes, along with the much softer taps of my own shoes. As we walked, Atsumi shifted the camera from one palm to another, fidgeting with it. Not in a nervous way, however, more of a calm and content way. It amazed me that both of my new friends could seem so calm.

Arriving at our destination, we were greeted by a quiet classroom, half-filled with students quietly chatting amongst each other. On the table at the front of the room, several cameras were lined up neatly, each with a brightly colored sticky note on top. Lancealot and Atsumi gently set their cameras onto the table as well, each locating one of the pens on the table. I followed, setting the camera in my hands onto the smooth tabletop, then accepting the pen being handed to me by Lancealot.

“Write your name on a sticky note then put it on top of the camera. That way, Nik knows whos is whos.” He explained with a wink. Atsumi pulled a bright blue paper from the small stack, passing in over Lancealot's back to reach me. I quickly scribbled my name onto the small square of paper, then placing it on top of the camera I had used. Moving it to stand amongst its fellow cameras, I skimmed over the names written on the others. Lisa Mercy, Spencer Diakos, Blair Ariti, Alexis Fuji... I wonder who all of these people are. I bet I’ll have to guess what they are as well. Though, to be honest, I don’t really mind the game that much. This round was going to be tough though. I still had no idea what Nik is except a robot.

Speaking of, Nik then entered the classroom, strutting almost like a bird. As soon as he reached the table at the front, the bell rang, freeing all the students behind where we are standing.

“Goodbye everyone, try not to get into trouble!” He waved at the line of people exiting the plainly decorated room, some smiled back. “Now, you three,” He stared in a much quieter tone, quickly twisting his body to face me directly and placing both hands behind his back. “Whatcha got for me?” My two friends stood at either side of me, awaiting my answer along with Nik, who was rocking back and forth on his heels with anticipation.

“A-are you a robot?” As soon as those words left my mouth, Nik vigorously shook his head and formed an ex with his arms.

“Nope!” Nik proclaimed. Lancealot held up two fingers, indicating that I only had two more chances at getting it right.

“...A cyborg then?” Like before, he shook his head and made an ex shape with his arms.

“Nope!”

“You’re pretty close, but it’s much more complicated than just a robot or cyborg,” Atsumi commented. What else could he be then? What else makes machine-like noises when it moves?

I sighed in defeat. “I dunno, a sentient mannequin?” Nik smirked at my declaration of defeat, moving his head slightly to the side, preparing an explanation.

“You were very close in saying a robot, but there is one big difference between myself and a robot.” He paused for dramatic effect, making a show of his explanation. “I may be made of machinery, cameras specifically, however, I don’t run on technology,” He lightly tapped his arm against the table, creating a hard, metallic sound. “I was not brought to ‘life’ by the many machines that make up my body, oh no no no, I was brought to life with _magic!_ ” He looked straight into my eyes, making his announcement of existing magic hit deeper. After a moment to sort my thoughts, he swiftly stepped back and continued. “Unlike robots, I am capable of emotions and possess the unique ability to learn and adapt, just as humans are. Since I was brought to life with magic, I am effectively considered a _golem._ ” He finished, spinning around once and gesturing to himself dramatically.

Without warning, a bright flash overtook my vision. Instinctively, I moved to shelter Atsumi from whatever had caused the flash. I tightly shut my eyes and tensely waited for what was to come. Did nothing happen? I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I cautiously fluttered my eyes open.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, it was just a flash,” Atsumi reassured with slight worry tainting her warm voice. I lowered my arms from their protective position in front of my face, opening my eyes fully once again. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I moved away from the tall girl standing behind me, mumbling a quiet _sorry_ as I did.

“As I said a moment ago,” Nik said, loosening his tie and undoing the top two buttons of his white dress shirt. “I am constructed primarily of cameras.” He moved the lapel of his vest and reached within the confines of his clothing. “My right eye is the flash,” He pulled out a thin rectangle and held it out. “And my left eye is the lens.” Upon looking down at the rectangle he held out, I realized it was a photo. Did he just take this? I took it in my hand, bringing it closer to my eyes for further inspection. It looks like he did just take this. My figure was slightly blurred, most likely because I had moved so quickly in reaction to the flash. Lancealot and Atsumi, however, looked completely prepared for the picture. In fact, Lancealot had time to throw up a peace sign behind my head.

After briefly studying the photograph, I looked back to Nik as he wore a closed mouth smile and looked up to me. “I print as well.” He stated, beginning to fasten the top buttons of his shirt. I looked back to the picture in my hand, trying to process the information that was just spat at me.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, alerting me of an incoming message. The shorter ‘golem’ standing in front of me took notice. ‘Well, it was a pleasure meeting you today Juzo, I’ll see you around!” With one final tug to his formally loosened tie, he held out his hand for me to shake.

“The pleasure’s all mine…” I said as I took his hand, following him as he quickly shook, moving his whole arm. Once I let go, Atsumi and Lancealot turned to the door and began walking. With a final glance in Nik’s direction, I followed my friends. 

Cloaking my hand in my pocket, I exchanged the photo for my phone. Turning it on, the screen lit up, featuring one text notification, from Axel.

“Who is it?” Lancealot asked as I pushed the door open with my side, not looking up from my phone.

“A friend from my old school…” I read the text as the others walked through the doorway I held open.

_Luka has swim meet after school, u down?_

As soon as I finished reading that text, another message appeared on the screen.

_Dude bring Lancealot ;) -Vikki_

Why am I not surprised?

“Hey, you guys got plans after school?” I asked. Both shook their heads ‘no’ after a moment of mentally checking schedules. “My friend has a swim meet later, we usually just hang out while he swims. One of the other friends is apparently a big fan of Lancealot’s and I think she’ll get along really well with Atsumi so, uh, wanna go with me?” Atsumi’s eyes lit up.

“Oh my god, I’ve never been to one of those before! And new friends? Oh, I can’t wait-” She jumped around me with a bright smile.

“Anything for a fan…” Lancealot said, gracefully tossing a section of his opalescent hair over his shoulder.

“You guys can, like, disguise yourselves, right?” I asked while pointing to the horse lower body of my friend.

“Sure can.” He replies, crossing his arms pridefully.

“Sweet, we’ll go after school then.”


End file.
